As published by the provider
American Home Shield
4.1/5
“Homeowners who want broad systems coverage and a choice of service fee.”
Photo · Naomi Hébert / Unsplash
Select Home Warranty
3.4/5
“Buyers who want bundled roof-leak coverage and accept tighter payout limits.”
Photo · Curology / Unsplash
vs
§ 01Round by round
The Warranta verdict
American Home Shield caps a covered HVAC system at $5,000 and all claims at $50,000 per agreement term, and its pre-existing exclusion reaches only breakdowns you knew about or could reasonably have detected. Select Home Warranty's edge is bundled roof-leak coverage, which AHS includes only on ShieldPlatinum, but Warranta could not verify Select's caps or service fee. Pick AHS unless roof-leak coverage is decisive; pick Select only if it is and you accept unverified caps and fee and heavy denied-claim complaint volume.
Round by round · 11 criteriaSourced ratings
| Criterion | American Home Shield | Select Home Warranty | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.1Wins | 3.4 | — |
| Pricing | 3.7 | 4.4Wins | — |
| Coverage | 4.5Wins | 3.3 | — |
| Claims process | 3.8Wins | 2.9 | — |
| Customer service | 3.6Wins | 3.0 | — |
| Contractor network | 4.3Wins | 3.2 | — |
| Pricing | Tie | Tie | AHS publishes plans starting at less than $1 a day and a $100 or $125 service fee; Select publishes no plan price or service fee Warranta could verify, so this round is a tie. Confirm the service fee in the contract before you buy. |
| Annual caps | Tie | Tie | AHS caps a covered HVAC system at $5,000 and all claims at $50,000 per agreement term; Warranta could not verify Select's caps, so the two cannot be compared. |
| Coverage breadth | WinsWins | — | AHS covers some undetectable pre-existing conditions and improper installs; Select counters with bundled roof-leak coverage, which AHS includes only on ShieldPlatinum. |
| Claims experience | WinsWins | — | AHS's claims sub-score is 3.8 versus Select's 2.9, and Select has documented disputes over advertised-versus-contract coverage. |
| Customer sentiment | WinsWins | — | AHS's overall 4.1 leads Select's 3.4, with AHS ahead on the claims and customer-service sub-scores. |
American Home Shield
Founded 1971
4.1
Overall
Select Home Warranty
3.4
Overall
Sources
- American Home Shield BBB profile (BBB profile, accessed 2026-05)
- Select Home Warranty BBB profile (BBB profile, accessed 2026-05)
- American Home Shield plan overview: ShieldSilver, ShieldGold and ShieldPlatinum limits; plans starting at less than $1 a day (Provider official, accessed 2026-10-07)
- Select Home Warranty plan and pricing pages (Provider official, accessed 2026-05)
- American Home Shield sample Plan Agreement, all other states, 2024 (Known Pre-existing Breakdown Exclusion; Roof Leak Repair on ShieldPlatinum) (Provider official, accessed 2026-10-07)
§ 02Who wins for you
If
“Coverage breadth matters most”
AHS covers some undetectable pre-existing conditions and improper installs; Select counters with bundled roof-leak coverage, which AHS includes only on ShieldPlatinum.
EdgeAmerican Home Shield
If
“Claims experience matters most”
AHS's claims sub-score is 3.8 versus Select's 2.9, and Select has documented disputes over advertised-versus-contract coverage.
EdgeAmerican Home Shield
If
“Customer sentiment matters most”
AHS's overall 4.1 leads Select's 3.4, with AHS ahead on the claims and customer-service sub-scores.
EdgeAmerican Home Shield
If
“Pricing matters most”
AHS publishes plans starting at less than $1 a day and a $100 or $125 service fee; Select publishes no plan price or service fee Warranta could verify, so this round is a tie. Confirm the service fee in the contract before you buy.
Evenly matchedToo close to call
Across 5 rounds, American Home Shield takes more than it loses, but the right pick still turns on which of these criteria you weight. See the verdict above.
§ 03The figures, side by side
American Home Shield
- Published price
- Starting at less than $1 a day (published starting price)
- Service fee options
- $100$125
- Service fee range
- $100 or $125 trade service-call fee
- Coverage caps
- $50,000 total per agreement term; $5,000 per covered HVAC system; $2,000 (ShieldGold) or $4,000 (ShieldPlatinum) per covered appliance
- Waiting period
- 0 days on AHS's 2024 All Other States sample plan; 30 days on its California sample
- Eligibility notes
- No home-age limit; pre-existing/known issues excluded
At a glance
Set in the contract
Across plan tiers
Per agreement term
Before claims are eligible
Home age / pre-existing
Select Home Warranty
- Waiting period
- Not confirmed; check the plan contract for when coverage starts
- Eligibility notes
- No home-age limit; pre-existing conditions excluded
At a glance
Before claims are eligible
Home age / pre-existing
American Home Shield
4.1/5
“Homeowners who want broad systems coverage and a choice of service fee.”
Select Home Warranty
3.4/5
“Buyers who want bundled roof-leak coverage and accept tighter payout limits.”
Round winners and the use-case cards above reconcile against Warranta’s rating methodology. Scores are on a 5-point scale.
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